LEE ZII JIA
Professional shuttler Lee Zii Jia has boldly set himself the target of winning the men's singles gold for Malaysia at the Paris Olympics.
The 26-year-old's confidence was underlined by his success in winning this year's Thailand and Australian Opens, and finishing second to Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the Malaysia Masters.
Zii Jia's Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 ended in the last 16 at the hands of eventual silver medallist Chen Long of China.
The world No. 7 is known to blow hot and cold, but he would love to silence his critics by capturing the gold medal at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.
AARON CHIA-SOH WOOI YIK
No one expected anything from men's pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
However, the shuttlers surprised everyone by bringing home the bronze medal after defeating Indonesia's seasoned campaigners Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan in a playoff.
Three years on from Tokyo, the pair are out to convert their medal into a more valuable colour.
However, their form this season is cause for concern as they do not have a World Tour title under their belt. The closest the world No. 5 came to winning a title this season was at the All England in March where they finished runners-up to Indonesian pair Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Rian Ardianto.
But Aaron-Wooi Yik have gotten into four quarter-finals in eight World Tour tournaments. They also finished third twice.
Maybe, the former world champions are saving their best for the Paris Olympics.
PEARLY TAN-M. THINAAH
Malaysia's top women's doubles pair Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah have been handed a draw, dubbed the group of death, in their Olympic debut.
They have, in Group A, the deadly company of China's world No. 1 Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan, Japan's world No. 6 Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara and Indonesia's world No. 9 Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti.
It is quite a mountain to climb for the Olympic first timers. Their best results this season were reaching the quarter-finals of the Indonesia Open, All England, Indonesia Masters and a third-place finish at the Malaysia Masters.
Not much is expected from the world No 13 pair, but they could deal a surprise after going to Paris under the radar.
AZIZULHASNI AWANG
Everyone thought the fire has gone out of the Pocket Rocketman after he went under the knife to correct a heart condition in 2022.
But Azizulhasni Awang rode his way back into contention for one last shot at the Olympic gold in track cycling.
With a keirin bronze (Rio 2016) and a silver (Tokyo 2020) in his trophy cabinet, the 36-year-old wants to complete his Olympic medal set before retiring.
With National Sports Institute support staff and a cardiologist following him to Paris to monitor his condition, Azizulhasni will have everything he needs to deliver Malaysia's first-ever Olympic gold.
OUTSIDE CONTENDERS
SHAH FIRDAUS SAHROM
For quite a while, track cyclist Shah Firdaus Sahrom is seen as the heir apparent to Azizulhasni.
He pedals on with these expectations in tandem. The 28-year-old has earned the moniker of "The Terminator" for his toughness in coming back from bone-breaking crashes to continue racing.
Paris will be his second Olympics appearance after Tokyo 2020, and Shah is expected to be Azizulhasni's Kemosahbee again in helping his friend ride for gold.
But if the stars aligned for the Johorian, he could win a medal for himself, or maybe even snatch a gold for the country.
ANIQ KASDAN
For weightlifter Aniq Kasdan, 305 kilogrammes is the magic number that he has to hit to potentially win a medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 24-year-old Olympic debutant is not far from that mark, having lifted 302kg in training. Aniq is currently in Antalya, Turkey, honing his body for a medal-run in Paris.
NUR DHABITAH SABRI
Diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri didn't appear to be going to Paris after failing to qualify on merit for the Olympics at the World Championships earlier this year in Doha.
But Dhabitah has received an Olympic wild card to compete in the 3m springboard event. This will be her third Olympics, and she will want to prove her doubters wrong.
An accomplished diver, Dhabitah has what it takes to challenge strongly for a place in the leaderboard.
After making her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, she came close to winning a bronze in the 3-metre springboard at Tokyo 2020, but eventually finished fourth.
JOHNATHAN WONG
The last time 10m air pistol shooter Johnathan Wong competed in the Olympics was eight years ago in Rio de Janeiro. He finished 28th in the 10m air pistol and 37th in the 50m free pistol.
This time around, the 31-year-old Melaka shooter is aiming for a place in the eight-man final. To be in contention, his target is to beat his season's best of 579 set at the Denmark Open earlier this year.
He hopes that would be enough to get him into the final to contend for a gold medal.